Folding picnic table and benches



y 9, 1961 J. l. HOROWITZ 2,983,308

FOLDING PICNIC TABLE AND BENCHES Filed Oct. 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

FOLDING PICNIC TABLE AND BENCHES Jacob I. Horowitz, 231 E. 86th St., New York, N.Y.

Filed Oct. 17, 1958, Ser. No. 767,977

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-124) This invention relates to furniture, and more particularly to a folding picnic table and bench assembly.

Ordinarily, conventional picnic tables and benches are quite heavy and difiicult to transport from one place to another, especially for use on picnics, at the seashore, and during camping trips. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a small, light, and collapsible folding picnic table and bench assembly that is particularly suited for at least two persons, and which can be conveniently carried in the trunk of an automobile or carried from one place to another. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide a folding picnic table and bench assembly of the type described that is constructed from aluminum tubing and wood panels, so as to provide maximum strength and minimum weight, and which can be conveniently opened and closed by a single individual for adjusting it between selective open and closed positions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a folding picnic table and benches of the type described that can be manufactured in large quantities at a relatively low cost, and can be readily stored in a small area when not in use.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of a picnic table and bench assembly made in accordance with the present invention in a fully assembled position;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 1, in a partly folded position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure?! showing the assembly in a completely folded position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing certain joint elements forming a part of the present invention; and

Figure 6 is a perspective View of a leg assembly forming another part of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, a folding picnic table and bench assembly made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a main frame that consists of a pair of substantially identical U-shaped frame members 1, each of which includes a pair of spaced apart parallel sides and a connecting bight portion, each such frame element being pivotally connected to the other such frame element at their free ends by means of a hinge 2, so as to be selectively foldable between the open position shown in Figure 1 lying in a single plane, and in a juxtaposed folded position, as shown in Figure 4. A U-shaped leg 3 having a pair of spaced apart parallel sides and a connecting bight portion, is pivotally connected by means of bolts or rivets 4 to each one of the frame members 1, adjacent to the central bight portion thereof, within the spaced apart sides, so as to be foldable upwardly therebetween, in which l l 2 V V folded position, the legs are concealed by the sides of the frames 1.

Individual hooks 5 pivotally mounted at one end by means of. rivets or bolts 6 on the main frame sections 1, are selectively movable into latched position with cooperating eyes 7 carried by each leg 3, so as to support such legs in a downwardly extending position at an obtuse angle with respect to the plane of the main frame, thus providing'a sturdy and adequate support for the entire unit.

Benches 17, in the form of wood or other types of panels, are secured to each end of the main frame sections 1. The table top 9 is attached, by means of bolts or. rivets 10,. to depending legs 11 at each end thereof, which legs 11 are pivotally attached by bolts or rivets 12 to the main frame sections 1. When in an open position, the table top 9'is maintained in a rigid horizontal plane by means of jack knife type brackets 8, an upper and a lower one of which are carried upon each side of the tabletop 9. The upper bracket 8 is attached to the flange of the table top 9 by means of a bolt or rivet 14,

while a similar bolt or rivet 15 secures the lower portion of the upper bracket 8 and the upper portion of the lower bracket 8 to the center of the associated leg 11. The lower one of the brackets 8 is attached by means of the same bolt or rivet 15 to the leg 11, while the opposite end thereof is attached to the corresponding main frame section 1 by another bolt or rivet 16. When these brackets are opened, they maintain the table top 9- in substantially parallel relationship with the open end, and thus prevents the table top 9 from tipping in either direction. The upper bracket 8 breaks toward an open position downwardly, permitting the table top 9 to be tipped into a vertical position, substantially normal to the normal plane of the main frame. The lower bracket 8 breaks open upwardly so as to enable the parts to be folded into the juxtaposed positions shown in Figure 4. By disengaging the latch elements 5 of each leg, the legs may be conveniently folded into the inside of the main frame sections 1, thus providing a compact folded unit for convenient storage and handling.

In actual use, the table may be conveniently opened by first placing the main frame sections 1 within a common plane by rotating them from the juxtaposed folded position to the coplanar relationship illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The legs 3 are then pivoted outwardly and secured by means of the latch hooks 5, in the obtuse angular relationship illustrated in Figure 2. The table top 9 is lifted into a perpendicular position, opening like a book pivotally on the pins 12, following which the lower brackets 8 are urged into the rigid open jack knife position to rigidly support the leg 11 in an erect position. The table top 9 is then tipped into the horizontal position, about the bolt 10, and the upper bracket 8 is urged into the locked open jack knife position to secure the table top 9 in the desired horizontal plane.

Ifdesired, the main frame sections 1 and associated legs 3 may be manufactured as a one piece unit, whenever it is desired to make the unit only partially collapsible, thus reducing the number of moving parts. In such an arrangement, only the table tops would be displaceable from the elevated use position to a lowered storage position, so as to allow a plurality of such units to be conveniently stacked on top of each other for convenience in storage. Also, the latch hooks 5 may be replaced with jack knife type brackets 8, of the type used for maintaining the table top 9 in the assembled open position.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as im- Z3; parting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. A collapsible picnic table and bench assembly comprising, in combination, a main frame, a pair. of benches each mounted upon each opposite longitudinal extremity of said main frame, a leg pivotally mounted at each end of said frame for selective movement between a downwardly depending open position and an upwardly folded storage position, a table top pivotally carried upon said frame for selective movement between an elevated position and a lowered storage position relative to said frame, said frame comprising a pair of substantially rigid identical U-shaped sections each having a pair of spaced apart parallel sides and a central bight portion connecting one end of each of said sides together, pivot means hingedly connecting the opposite free ends of said sides of one frame to the sides of the other frame together for pivotal movement between an open position in a single plane and a folded juxtaposed position, each said leg comprising a U-shaped member having a pair of sides and a central connecting bight portion at one end, the opposite free end of said sides of each U-shaped leg member being pivotally connected to each frame member adjacent to said bight portion thereof, and releasable latch means securing said U-shaped leg member in said downwardly depending open position relative to said frame at an obtuse angle therewith.

2. A collapsible picnic table and bench assembly as I set forth in claim 1, wherein said table top comprises a rigid panel, and a link pivotally connected at one end to said table top and pivotally connected at the opposite end to said frame supporting said table top for said selective movement between said elevated and said storage positions.

3. A collapsible picnic table and bench assembly as set forth in claim 2, further comprising latch means releasably securing said table top in said elevated position substantially parallel to said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 769,354 Nielsen Sept. 6, 1904 1,173,480 Bulik Feb. 29, 1916 1,272,187 Basford July 9, 1918 1,401,449 Snyder Dec. 27, 1921 1,643,947 Hill Oct. 4,1927 2,257,550 Gay Sept. 30, 1941 2,548,682 Price Apr. 10, 1951 2,561,703 Koenig July 24, 1951 2,642,925 Seymour June 23, 1953 2,647,562 Hoifar Aug. 4, 1953 2,780,506 Howe Feb. 5, 1957 2,837,141 Shore June 3, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 637,334 Germany Oct. 26, 1936 1,050,028 France Aug. 26, 1953 

